Vodafone gets less flexible on flexible working Ts&Cs for own staff

Re: Shirking from home

You say "most companies have realized it matters more about what you deliver", but a month ago you would have listed IBM and Vodafone amongst those companies. Maybe this is the start of a trend, and those two are just at the forefront?

The problem I see is what about people who were hired on from day one as a remote worker, and don't live near an office or if they do the manager and teammates are dispersed widely. If you accepted a job knowing that the nearest site was hours away but didn't care as you'd rarely or never go there, it is a problem if you are now expected to show up there on a daily basis. Or even if it is just down the road, what's the point of going there if you will be sitting at a cubicle not interacting with anyone in person because you don't work with anyone near you, just alongside them? Is there going to be someone in the office whose job it is to check attendance and report back to everyone's manager? If not, how is your manager going to know you aren't working in the office if he works at a different location? I guess being the one who always tattled on classmates in grade school is the prerequisite for that job.

For all its flaws and callousness, at least IBM said they'd need to work at one of a few main sites, so presumably people will actually work alongside teammates and their actual manager will probably see them on a daily basis.

Re: Shirking from home

Re "Its a good job that most companies have realised that it matters more about what you deliver," it appears Vodafone has forgotten this lesson. Someone issues a dictate and all must fall in-line.

UK isnt producing enough so that must be the reason. People work in virtual teams - with email - phone messaging skype - you dont need to be sat in the same building - in fact - you very rarely are in same location as those you are dealing with. In short it wont change anything - it will only make matters worse.

Summary - Vodafone is burying it's head in the sand instead of dealing with the real issues - poor product set - lack of defintion of said sets - slooow delivery and lack of ownership and flexibility

There you are... spot on. Many managers, especially in call centers, use staff to snitch on each other plus the so-called "productivity tools" of seeing who's logged in, how many calls, etc. Quality isn't important as long as they are in control and can manage everyone and everything down to and including restroom/bog time.

There's also the observation that many of the younger folks don't have a work ethic (I've seen a lot of that in the last years) where they come in late, take breaks etc. longer than allowed and don't carry their "share" of the load. Then again, there's a lot of older workers in that same category.

It is a problem and no cookie-cutter one-size-fits-all solution will work. Managers need to know their people and their job in depth and that goes from the top all the way down to team leaders (below actual management).

Re: Vodafone app privacy

the Vodafone UK iOS app

Sorry, I don't understand your comment because you don't explain what this app does. I assume it's not just a wrapper for their website where you can read self-help tech support rather than engaging and expensive human, or buy data allowance top-ups and such?

Re: Vodafone app privacy

Yep I noticed this too.

Moaned at them on twitter, got the usual boilerplate stuff and a suggestion I should just accept it, and finally one suggesting I just use the web site instead.

Fortunately I only updated the app on one device, the rest still have access without this issue. Poor show Vodafone.

Re: Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration!

A lot depends on what you are doing...

When I worked at Vdf on an International project, with all the collaboration, consultations etc. the number of people in any single office on any one day was highly variable. Having 'spare' desk capacity meant that we could plan (typically at short notice) our frequent get together's around the needs of the project, not of facilities management...

So I can see this change creating many unexpected headaches and irritations, as 'visitors' can't get hot desk access, meeting rooms always in demand so none available when you actually need one...

Re: Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration!

Have to wonder how this affects Vodafone sales???

Web site https://www.vodafone.co.uk/our-responsibilities/better-ways-of-working/flexible-working/index.htm talks about "75% of employees said flexible working boosts their job satisfaction, 72% said it improved work-life balance, and 54% said they were more productive." and this flies in face of it.

I have worked flexibly for over 20 years - I can work from a costa - home - car - train or home base. Majority of people I deal with are not in my local office so makes no different to myself or people in same role.

Now Vodafone are a) making my day longer b) increasing my costs c) making me less flexible.

Good will; going out of my way and working odd hours just went out the window.

Great move Vodafone

Re: Can someone explain to me the the issue around maternity leave?

i don't know, but i can guess that it is to do with collection from childcare.

If you have to drop your child off at a nursery which opens at 8 and closes at 6, and you live more than an hour away from the office, then it's going to be hard to resolve that. if however the nursery is 10 minutes from your house and you can work from home, then life is a lot easier...

Re: Can someone explain to me the the issue around maternity leave?

The statement "how this is meant to suit those returning to work post-pregnancy.” leaves me baffled.

UK (and most Eu countries) law postulates:

1. That you are entitled to request officially flexible working conditions anytime while any of your children are up to 6 years old.

2. Your company must review the request and provide you with a reasonable explanation if they are incapable of accommodating it.

3. If they are being unreasonable you have a good discrimination or constructive dismissal case on your hands.

4. While there is no precedent base regarding changes in flexible working policy mid-contract you probably have a very good case to claim violation of this part of the labor code if they significantly downsize it or revoke mid-contract without going through the step 2 for each and every employee which has a child under 6.

This is the post-pregnancy angle and it will be very entertaining to watch how it bites IBM and the few other companies that have gone crazy on workhousing people lately get bitten by it.

Re: "Smart working days should not be the same day each week"

Or bugger off on a holiday.